


melt me with your eyes, galaxy defender

by PhantomPierceOkamoto



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bad Flirting, Bad Puns, Cheesy, EVERYONE IS SO OOC IM SORRY, Fluff, Kisses, M/M, RIP, SO MUCH FLUFF, Supportive Keith, Teasing Shiro, also this doesn't need to be rated teen but whatever, alternating povs, compliments, i can't write, kind of since lance's pov is the second chapter, or tag, the original character is there for like...one line
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 14:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11314986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomPierceOkamoto/pseuds/PhantomPierceOkamoto
Summary: Keith (while embarrassing himself) realizes Lance admires him, and wants to show him he’s admired too.Title from Star Girl by McFly.





	1. Chapter 1

The part of being a team Keith wasn’t that good at was the social time. He’d much rather spend some of his free time on his own, maybe training, but Shiro was adamant that at least a couple times a week ( _was_ it a week? Space time was weird) the team would do a bonding night.

Keith sighed, crossing his arms as he put his feet up on the table. He watched as the others came into the common room and joined him on the couch.

“…on! It was pretty funny!” Keith raised an eyebrow as he heard Lance coming with Pidge.

“I’m sorry Lance, I can’t say I find your puns very humorous.”

Lance groaned loudly, plopping into the seat beside Keith. Hunk and Shiro followed them in, all of the paladins sitting together.

“Hunk, back me up!” Lance cried.

Hunk laughed nervously. “I can try, but you know some of your puns are not…well, my…thing.”

Lance pouted, betrayal clear in his expression. “Well hear me out, at least!”

Shiro sighed. “Why don’t you come out with it, then.”

Lance grinned, and Keith dreaded every second that passed. “Well I figured out why Zarkon is how he is–he’s spent too much time in space. He’s a _space case_.”

There was a beat of silence. Keith’s eyes widened, and a giggle slipped out between his lips. Eyes widening further, he clamped his hand over his mouth and flushed a deep scarlet.

He felt all pairs of eyes shoot in his direction, widening as far as his had. The widest, however, belonged to the tan boy whom had received the laughter.

“You…you laughed,” he stated, shock lacing his voice. “You _laughed!_ ” He pulled his mouth into a surprised smile, his eyes twinkling–not from amusement, but from _astonishment_.

Keith’s flush deepened and he begged for the couch to swallow him whole. He was embarrassed enough, and he didn’t think he could take Lance staring at him like that without dissolving into a puddle.

Luckily, no one seemed to bring it up after that. There were some meaningful glances in his direction from Shiro, and a couple at Lance from Pidge and Hunk, but Lance was so over the moon he didn’t seem to notice.

After their bonding session (or basically just watching an Altean video that confused the hell out of them), Keith hurried out of the room. He bumped into Shiro as he rushed out, apologizing quickly.

Shiro chuckled lightly. "No problem. In a hurry?”

Keith could feel fire pool in his cheeks, to his own disdain. “Well…ah, I don’t know.” he stammered.

“Is this because of Lance?”

“No!” he adamantly denied. Shiro stared at him. “…fine. It’s a little because of Lance.”

“Because of the way he looked at you? Your poor, pining heart.”

“ _Shiro!_ ” he yelped, smacking Shiro’s arm. He hadn’t thought he could’ve been more embarrassed, but here he was. “I’m not _pining!_ I just don’t get why he got so excited is all.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow. He sighed slightly, eyes carefully surveying the shorter boy. “I’m not really sure if it’s my place to say this, but I think you don’t understand that Lance really admires you. Yes, he’s got the whole rivalry thing, and he jabs at you all the time, but it’s usually because he wants a reaction from you. He thinks you’re an amazing pilot, really cool, and a good fighter.” Shiro paused. “It could also just be the fact you literally don’t laugh at _anything_.”

Keith’s flush only grew, spreading across his entire face. “Stop,” he demanded, ducking his head. “I laugh at stuff.”

“Right. Well, I’m going to talk to the princess, so you go ahead and train or whatever you do to escape your feelings.”

Keith shouted and flailed his arms as Shiro jogged away, chuckling lightly.

* * *

The conversation with Shiro forced Keith to really consider Lance (well, he already thought about him a lot but that was another story). Shiro told him that Lance admired him, yet Keith was constantly seeing things to admire about _Lance_. Everything from the way he talked to people to his fighting skills.

He also started to notice Lance’s insecurities. He noticed when teasing from the team affected Lance more than usual, or when someone would bring something up that was a particularly sore spot. Keith felt the urge to turn that around, maybe show Lance that Keith admired him too.

Touching down on a small planet, Allura immediately opened diplomatic conversation with the local inhabitants, the Korcklians. The leaders and officials held an open party, chatting with the Paladins.

A shorter man with blueish features and pointed ears approached him. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Red Paladin.”

“Keith is fine,” he responded, managing a small smile. “Nice to meet you.”

“I am Yuuga. I am a researcher, and was curious about your team. How do you function?” Keith didn’t really want to have a long conversation with him, not one to want to socialize. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Lance walking near them, chatting with another Korcklian. He smiled, and realized what he had to do.

“Right. Well, Princess Allura and Coran handle the castle. Pidge and Hunk are our resident tech experts, and Shiro is our commander.” He paused, glancing over to see if Lance was paying attention. He wasn’t. Raising his voice, Keith continued. “And Lance, our Blue Paladin, is extremely important to our team.”

Yuuga nodded with fascination, urging Keith to continue. In the window of the hall, Keith could see Lance looking at them out of curiosity.

“Lance is really outgoing and friendly, and he naturally gets along with everyone. The Princess has noticed his diplomatic skills herself. He’s good at keeping up the team morale with lightheartedness instead of just _‘we have to fight!’_ you know?”

Keith looked into the window again, biting his lip when he saw Lance stepping towards them. Yuuga seemed to notice as well, tracing his line of sight to the approaching Blue Paladin.

“And not only that. He really brings the team together, and the blue lion loved him from the second they met. He’s a talented pilot and our sharpshooter, our expert marksmen. He’s kind, considerate, funny, brave…” He paused again, catching Lance’s gaze. His heart twisted in his chest to see Lance beaming, as if the sun itself could smile. “…and he’s really cool.”

Yuuga raised an eyebrow with a knowing smile. “I see. Well, thank you for your time.” He walked away, leaving Keith to watch Lance approaching him.

Lance stopped a foot away, a tinge of pink tracing his cheekbones. “Did you say all that because I could hear you?” he asked, voice soft. His eyes were gentle, shining, sparkling.

“I said all that because it’s true,” Keith responded, averting his eyes. He felt his own cheeks heat up, unable to function under Lance’s overwhelming gaze.

Lance inhaled sharply, and Keith looked back at him. Lance’s mouth shaped into a ring, and his eyes only seemed to shine brighter. “That was smooth,” Lance confessed, red spreading across the bridge of his nose.

Lance leaned over, pressing his lips against Keith’s burning cheek. He pulled away, tucking a hair behind Keith’s ear, and leaned back slightly.

“Thanks, Keith. You’re really cool too,” Lance whispered, backing up and turning to rejoin the party. Keith gawked after him, jaw agape and eyes widening into disks.

He subconsciously brought the tips of his fingers up to the spot Lance had kissed him, the skin tingling.

Keith would definitely compliment Lance more if he got those kind of reactions.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lance embarrasses himself to respond to Keith.

Lance stumbled into the communal room, movements wobbly, until he reached the couch and flopped down across Hunk's lap. 

He moaned for a solid thirty ticks, and lay motionless as the sound of Pidge's typing and Hunk's page turning echoed in the room.

Finally, Pidge sighed. "So are you going to tell us what's going on or are we going to have to ask?"

"Keith is so _cute_..." Lance groaned, burying his burning face into the couch. 

"What brought this on?" Hunk asked, quirking an eyebrow. 

"First it was yesterday, when he giggled at my pun...he _giggled_. How can anyone be that cute?" Lance paused for dramatic effect, Pidge and Hunk sighing lightly in exasperation. He turned over, resting his head onto Hunk's legs. "Then today! At the ball! He said all of these sweet, incredible things about me and he was like 'I said it because it's true and I'm cute and want to make your heart stop.' And I was dying. _Dying_.” 

"Lance, I'm pretty that's not what he-" 

"I don't know what to do. I didn't even realize I liked guys, and now I have a crush on one!"

"Praise kink," Pidge said, snickering. 

Lance flushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, his head shooting up. " _No!_ How do you even know what that _is?_ You're, like, _ten!_ " 

Pidge glared. "I'm _fourteen_ , you idiot!"

"Anyway," Hunk interrupted, laughing nervously. "That's beside the point. What are you going to do about this...crush?" 

Lance moaned again, face down into the couch. "I don't know! I don't even think he likes me…"

Lance watched Pidge and Hunk look at each other, unreadable expressions covering their faces. “If you tell him you like him, you’ll find out.” Pidge stated bluntly, shrugging. 

“Pidge, have you ever had a crush? Ever? That’s not how it works. Like, I like him, but I don’t want to be rejected.” 

“But if he likes you he won’t reject you?” Pidge replied, raising an eyebrow. 

“That’s an ‘if’, and I don’t want to embarrass myself like that.” 

“Too late.”

“Shut up.”

“Guys,” Hunk sighed. “cut it out.” 

“Hunk, my best friend, my true love. What should I do?” Lance begged. 

“I always believe you should confess because it’s the right thing to do-” 

“Shay.”

“-Pidge, Shay is just my friend. But if you’re so unsure, why don’t you test the waters? Like…flirt a little, see how he reacts?” 

“Hunk! You beautiful genius!” Lance gasped, sitting up straight. “I’ll just do exactly what he did!” 

Pidge and Hunk looked at him with questioning looks, as he stood up and danced around slightly. 

“I’ll compliment him until he falls in love with me!” Lance explained, giddily. Pidge snorted as Lance rushed out. 

Hunk stayed silent for a moment. “Does he really not know…”

“Nope,” Pidge replied, huffing slightly. “Those two are more oblivious than anyone, ever. I wonder how long it’ll take for them to realize it’s mutual.” 

Hunk sighed, shaking his head.

* * *

Lance jogged to the training deck, expecting Keith to be there. It was more strange when he wasn’t there, so whenever someone needed him, they typically just came to the training deck first. 

As expected, Keith was already in the middle of a program, bayard poised as he ran at a gladiator. Not in armor, Lance could admire Keith's figure as he drove forward. 

In other words, Lance was very clearly checking him out. 

_Not now, gay thoughts,_ Lance moaned internally. _I don’t want to come off too strong._

He figured he couldn’t approach Keith the way he was used to approaching attractive people. He leaned against the wall to observe (check him out) and wait for Keith to finish up, mentally preparing a list of compliments on his fighting abilities and hoping it would seem flirty enough to get his point across. 

Keith sliced through the gladiator one last time, successfully getting through the program. He pulled back, retracting his bayard, and walked over to the side. 

“You looked great out there,” Lance said, walking over to him. Keith looked up at him, startled, before relaxing into a neutral pose. 

“Oh, thanks,” Keith acknowledged. “It’s an easier level than I usually do.”

Lance took the bait. “Woah, _seriously?_ That’s so impressive!” He leaned forward slightly, just to be in Keith’s space a bit. “I knew you were good, but not _that_ good.”

“Ah, thanks?” Keith responded, almost sounding confused. Then, as if he had a sudden realization, his eyes widened. “Oh! If you want to train with me sometime, it’d be fun to spar with someone else. Shiro and I spar sometimes too, if you want to join.”

 _Not my intention, but whatever._ “Ah, sure. That sounds…fun?”

“Cool,” Keith replied, nodding. He lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe some sweat from his face, and Lance hightailed it out of there before he could say something he would regret later.

* * *

Lance pushed his hands forward, rushing ahead in his lion to attack the next wave of fighters. He cheered when his shots his their marks. 

“Great job Lance!” he heard over the comms, and immediately, he flushed. 

In response, he looked over to where Keith was zooming around, ducking over and under rows of fighters, nailing each shot. A rush of admiration (and honestly, slight jealousy) shot through his veins. 

He giggled lightly, watching Keith fight. "You look so cool when you beat up those Galra ships, Keith.” slipped from his lips. 

"Lance, as much as I appreciate you complimenting Keith instead of bickering with him, I think you'd better focus on fighting first.” Shiro’s voice came over the comms, amusement lacing his tone. 

Lance’s flush deepened. “Right…uh…”

“It’s clear!” Allura called, her voice shocking him out of his embarrassment. 

“Alright team, form Voltron!”

* * *

Lance chatted with Hunk during dinner, but he could tell Hunk was getting irritated that Lance kept looking over at Keith. Hunk mouthed “just tell him” before rolling his eyes and turning to Pidge. 

_He’s been spending too much time with Pidge_ , Lance pouted. He looked over at Keith, who was talking to Shiro. 

“-don’t want to hear that from you, you can’t cook at all.” Lance heard him say. Shiro chuckled. 

“Well I would not want to try whatever you come up with,” Shiro responded. 

“I bet you’re good at cooking, Keith,” Lance blurted out. 

Keith raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

“Well you’re pretty much good at everything, so it wouldn’t surprise me.” he rambled. Then he felt his cheeks burn. 

“Um, thanks?” Keith replied, looking confused. Lance managed a weak smile, before shooting a glare in PIdge’s direction, who was blatantly snickering.

* * *

Lance sighed, leaning against the wall. He did try complimenting Keith all day, but he wasn’t getting his point across. And he had honestly embarrassed himself more than make Keith smile. 

“Lance?”

He opened his eyes, blinking at the figure. “Oh, hey Keith,” he said, with an awkward smile. “What’s up?”

“Are you alright?” Keith questioned, standing in front of him. “You’ve been acting kinda weird all day.”

Lance chuckled nervously, averting his eyes. “Ah, yeah. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Keith stepped closer. 

_Too close! Can’t think! Abort!_ “Mhm! Absolutely! A hundred percent,” Lance managed, weakly. 

“That definitely doesn’t sound okay.”

“I’m fine, really.”

“You don’t sound fine, though!”

“But I am!”

“Lance, I just-” 

“It’s just _really_ hard to think when you’re up in my space since you’re so pretty!” he babbled, without thinking. His eyes widened, and he clamped a hand over his mouth. 

Keith stepped back, blinking in surprise. After a moment, a deep red spread across his cheeks, covering his face. “I…what?” he rasped. 

Lance felt his pulse race. “Pretty. You’re really, _really_ pretty,” he repeated. 

“I’m…you…what?” Keith stuttered, reddening further. 

“Beautiful. Gorgeous. Handsome.” Lance added, stepping up to him. Keith kept moving back, and Lance would step forward in response. Keith’s back hit the wall, and he looked up at Lance, absolutely floored. “Keith, you’re unbelievably _adorable_.” 

Keith covered his face with his hands, which may have hidden his expression but did not do a good job hiding the redness in his face. “Please stop,” he begged. 

Lance grinned. “Why? It’s true.”

“ _Stop_.”

“No.”

“Lance.”

“Keith.”

Keith finally brought his hands away from his face, and though he still looked embarrassed, a smile tugged at his mouth. “You really think I’m pretty?”

Lance nodded fiercely. “The prettiest.” 

Keith looked at his feet, his hand on the back of his neck. “Thank you,” he responded, shyly. 

“Yeah,” Lance hummed, resting his hand against the wall by Keith’s head. He leaned forward until their foreheads touched, and he could feel puffs of air tickle his lips. 

“You’re really pretty too,” Keith murmured, looking back up at Lance. Lance blushed lightly, smile widening. Keith cupped Lance’s cheek with a hand, closing the distance between their lips. 

And it was as if everything made sense, as if everything was right. The gentle press of lips and the unsure touches, noses bumping and blushing cheeks. The quiet hum of the castle and the gentle light filling the hallway. 

And when they pulled apart, just enough, they could see all those wonderful, perfect details they always admired about each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, really hope you liked this. It's been a long time since I've posted any writing and I'm not really sure how this is? That's it I guess. 
> 
> Oh, and my tumblr is phantompierce-okamoto (like here).

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh I really hope you liked it! I've had this on my tumblr for a while, actually. I'll probably put up the second chapter tomorrow.


End file.
